Flatfield scanning is commonly used in a number of applications, including flatbed scanners, capstan imagesetters, and even some external drum systems (e.g., large capstans). A serious limitation of many flatfield scanning systems is that there are practical limits to the length of the scan line. This generally limits the page width of these systems to the range of 14 to 18 inches.
In an attempt to overcome this page width limitation, efforts have been made, with limited success, to combine the partial scan lines produced by a plurality of imaging sources into a single, composite image. Unfortunately, the seams between the partial scan lines produced by each imaging source are generally highly visible in the composite image. Additional artifacts produced by in-scan errors, cross-scan errors, pixel size variations, exposure variations, and other factors, may also be introduced, further diminishing the quality of the composite image. The in-scan and cross-scan errors may be produced for a number of reasons including spinner synchronization errors, thermally induced errors, or mechanical misalignment.
The present invention incorporates many unique features which eliminate these and other problems associated with the use of multiple imaging sources to create a single image.